Look what's Brewing!

Easter 2010

2010-04-08T17:21:00.003-05:00

Yes I had a baby! I am not still 38 weeks pregnant. Ryan Matthew born July 24th, 2009. I do realize that was 8 months ago. My blog just isn't on the top of my list anymore. Being a wife, mom, and teacher keeps me very busy. After I get home from work all my time is focused with my two favorite boys! Here is one of my favorite pics of Ryan as a newborn. And to bring you to now. Here we are at Easter this year. We had just finished a great meal at Pereni's with my mom. Dad had to work:(

Well maybe I will get better at the blog thing. I had attempted several times in the past to update but blogger never works for me. I'll try doing a better job. I realize just a picture or two is all that is needed. Happy Spring!

38 weeks!

2009-07-19T19:14:00.002-05:00

Well we are anxiously awaiting Ryan's arrival!

Ryan's Room

2009-06-20T12:17:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of Ryan's room. I absolutely love it! I don't feel like the pictures do it justice but here they are. This first shot is from the doorway. Yes there is a stuffed goose hanging on the wall. Matt shot this last Thanksgiving and it is perfect in a boy's room. My mom refers to it as 'mother' but i think we will let Ryan name it someday. Then there is a cow hide rug on the floor. Purchased in Abilene but I was told came from an Italian cow!! A shot of the wall with the window. Not a great pic due to the sun coming in. Nancy Jones, a friend and co-worker made the 4 canvases on the left with his name. And the rocker that we had recovered was given to us by my sister-in-law, Carrie. There is a cute fish frame above the rocker that I have great plans to put a baby pic of Matt, me and then Ryan. We shall see if that ever gets done!

A close up of his name. It is incredible! Thanks Nancy.

The changing table/hutch.

The wall with the closet.

A close up of the canvas that my friend Amanda made of his first pictures. I love it. Matt is not a huge fan because I think it weirds him out a little that my sonogram pictures are up for the world to see. I assure him that these will only be out while he is a baby.
And now all we need is a baby to complete the room. Very soon!!!!!

34 weeks!

2009-06-20T12:13:00.003-05:00

Well it is Saturday morning and I am way behind on belly pics and posting so here I am in all my glory, pajamas and all! I can't believe that we have less than six weeks left. I am so excited and ready to meet our little man!

Baby Showers

2009-06-20T11:25:00.004-05:00

I have amazing co-workers and friends. Here are some pictures from my baby showers. The first is from my school shower. I feel completely lucky and blessed to work with such an amazing staff. I can't wait for Ryan to meet everyone and someday go to school there.

My second shower was thrown by a group of friends. It was incredible! I don't even know how to say thanks to everyone who made the shower possible and all the people who came to honor Ryan!

Three ladies who are very near and dear to me! What would I do without friends like you! Wendy, Robyn, and Brooke.

My besties from Lubbock and Dallas, Amanda Wooten and Lisa Goolsby! Thank you for traveling to come share in the excitement.

We will always be Austin Raiders in my mind. Darla Lorenz, Marilyn Long and myself.The best sister ever! Thank you for everything!Melissa Brown and her sweet boys, Zane and Vander, came from Dallas. Thank you for coming and helping unload everything at my house. You are the greatest. I guess we will have to wait until next year to go chill at Hawaiian Falls!Me with Dave and Julia Galloway's sweet baby girls, Ellie and Gracelyn. Watch out Ryan!!!

28 weeks

2009-05-13T16:32:00.002-05:00

Well time is flying and we will be welcoming Ryan in no time! I am actually almost 30 weeks now but my camera was having issues downloading pics. So here is the most recent belly shot at 28 weeks.

My Easter Egg

2009-04-12T17:09:00.003-05:00

Well I have finally caved in and posted some belly shots. The first is at about 20 weeks. The day we found out it was a boy!

Easter morning. 24 weeks. We are getting very excited and are eagerly waiting Ryan's arrival this July! I am working on paint color for the nursery and am hoping to have it done soon. I will definitely post pics once it is finished.

HAPPY EASTER

It's a BOY!

2009-04-02T17:15:00.002-06:00

We are so excited to be having a baby boy. Matt will now have a forever fishing partner! We can't wait to have Ryan Matthew join us at the end of July. Sorry no pics!

A baby is brewing!!!!

2009-02-17T09:15:00.004-06:00

Matt and I are expecting our first baby on July 31st! We are so excited. I am 16 1/2 weeks along and I feel great. I feel very lucky to have been blessed with a great pregnancy so far. The best thing about this is that I have an appetite for the first time! It is great and comical to those who know me. Here is our journey thus far.

Baby at about 8 weeks. Baby at about 9 or so weeks.

Baby at a little over 11 weeks. I love the sweet nose! Above the nose you can see his/her fingers!

Now we don't get to see the baby until March 16th when we find out the sex. However, yesterday we listened to the heartbeat and it was in the upper 147-151 range. Such a beautiful noise! I think I may have felt the baby move the other night but who really knows at this stage. Thank you to all have who have prayed for Matt and I and this sweet baby. Continue to pray that all goes well. Look for a post on March 16th to find out what we are having!!

26.2 again, but this time not alone!

2008-10-28T16:37:00.007-06:00

Yes, I ran another marathon, but this time it was with my sister! We ran the Nike Women's Marathon in you guessed it San Francisco. I took this picture while on a boat tour that went around Alcatraz and over to Pier 39 where all the sea lions hang out. I thought this was a great pic and is worthy of framing!

The first evening we rode the trolley down to Fisherman's Wharf. Here we are being the typical tourists taking our picture with the pirate statues. The traditional Trolley picture. That was a neat experience riding on the trolley and smelling the burning wood from the brakes. I was also way impressed with how they manually turn the trolleys around on this wheel thing in the ground. Definitely a much see when in San Fran.Matt and I went to a superb restaurant called Scoma's and had some delicious crab cakes and fish. After dinner we walked around the wharf some more and then saw the Ghiradelli sign and could not resist taking a bite out of it!! Yummy.Race day was very chilly! Note: I still have my long sleeve. Usually I never run in long sleeves, but I was cold. At the end of the race you are given a Tiffany necklace handed to you by a fireman in a tuxedo. A great way to end a race! Here are me and Kristin. Sisters and best friends. I am so glad we got to experience this together.A good group shot of everyone on the trip. Matt, me, Kristin, Mom, and sweet Sydney. She was amazing the whole weekend and I am for sure loved by her! And of course, my biggest fan!! I love him so much! He probably completed at least a half marathon while supporting us! Thanks!!!!After the Marathon we drove to Sausalito to have lunch. My uncle went to seminary here and it was beautiful. Then on to Napa to tour the wineries. We went to Roche Winery, a small winery that only sells there wine from there. It was neat getting to taste different flavors.
And last we ventured down Lombard Street. Matt and my mom drove while Kristin and I walked. We had on our marathon shirts and people were yelling at us that we were crazy to be walking right after. Oh well, it was something I wanted to do, crazy or not!
It was a super weekend with lots of great memories! Yeah for another 26.2 done!

The dogs

2008-09-29T20:14:00.003-05:00

I came home the other day and found a very proud dog!

WaterSkiing

2008-08-04T15:38:00.003-05:00

Matt and I got to go skiing with some friends from Lubbock, Kathy and Cary Eubanks. Matt and Kathy were in school together in Lubbock. She is now a pathology resident and her husband is the Gin manager for Slaton. They are true friends. We can always catch up right where we left off from the last time we saw them, no matter how long it has been. Here are some pics of us skiing on Lake Alan Henry. While you're looking at the pictures you can imagine how sore we were afterward. We haven't been in over 5 years!!! But we did surprisingly good. Matt skied, wakeboarded, and kneeboarded. and was good at all of them. I kneeboarded for the first time. Got up pretty easily. It was pretty fun while I was on the board, but then I busted hard. I mean went white and then realized I was underwater and didn't know which way was up. Good thing lifejackets are made to take you to the top!!! I opted out of kneeboarding the rest of the day. However, I did ski and it was tons of fun. Matt on the wake board. He looks pretty cool!!
Me on the skis. I love being on the water!
Cary on the wake board. He is a pro!
I have some cool footage of Matt and Kathy skiing together and doing tricks, but I have tried a million times to get blogger to upload the video!

A wedding at the beach!

2008-08-01T14:18:00.002-05:00

My cousin Natalie got married this past month at Crystal Beach near Galveston. Here Matt and I are with Natalie and her new husband Jason. The entire family was there for an extended weekend. So much fun! I love being with my aunts and uncles and all my cousins. We have a blast together. I can't wait until the next time we are all in one place.Here are my sister and I with our cute hubbies!!!
And then, Matt and I attempted some family photos. Not many turned out, but we really like this one because it was snapped without us knowing and we are being ourselves. Who knows what I was telling him!!
And yes, Matt got to do some bay fishing. Fishing is what makes him super relaxed and super happy. Next to spend time with me of course! He caught this triple tail bass. It is very rare to catch this fish in the bay so it was a neat catch.
We took it home and cooked it along with some other fish he caught and surprisingly it was very good!
What a fun weekend with the fam.

4th of July!

2008-07-17T16:51:00.004-05:00

This has been a long time coming. Our fourth of July was great! Our best friends from Dallas, Jeff and Lisa, came in town for the weekend. Also my sister, Jason, and Sydney were in town. And to top off the fun, the Kilmers stayed in town for the celebration. It was so good to be with the people I love!

Sweet Sydney

2008-06-30T18:05:00.003-05:00

My sister and Sydney came in town last week to visit. It was so good to spend time with both of them. I am going to miss them like crazy when they go overseas! Sydney got to stay extra which was so much fun for me and Bdub. Kristin and Jason went to Las Vegas, so they had a good time too! Here are some pics of the fun we had.
My dad, or Pops to Syd, feeding the fish. For anyone who has been to the Abilene Zoo, this is crazy!! It is a must see and do.
Sydney may not look like she was having a good time, but don't be fooled! SHe loves the animals.Sydney and myself at the pool. She is such a fish. Very happy splashing and playing in the water.One, two, three...JUMP!!!

I love this sweet girl!

Happy 117th Birthday DP

2008-06-26T08:02:00.003-05:00

We love Dr Pepper! We spent the day in Dublin, TX celebrating DP's birthday with my parents. It was tons of fun and we drank a ton of DP! I think it may become a yearly event for us. There is a 10 2 4 K run that we did not do this year because we didn't want to be sweaty all day, but we found out they had showers. So next year I will add that to my list of things to do to celebrate the best drink!!!

HOME SWEET HOME

2008-06-25T15:50:00.005-05:00

Well we have officially moved to Abilene. We have been in our new house for about two weeks. I have been busy getting everything in its right place. I have just about finished but thought I would go ahead and post some pics.

Master bedroom (above and below)

Master bath (It is little so this is Matt's bathroom, I use the other!)

My bathroom. It is green and brown. I love it!!

The DR PEPPER office. The closet in this room is the coolest. It has built in drawers with shelves and hanging rods. It will come in handy some day!

The guest room! Another of my favorite rooms. Sweet and simple. It is waiting for guests to come. And in the red armoire is a great big TV to enjoy!

My kitchen. It has concrete countertops that I love. And all stainless steel appliances. SO NICE!!!

The dining area
Looking into the den from the dining area. Our sweet new sectional! You can barely see Matt snuggled in "his" spot!
Looking in from the front door.
This is a view from sitting on the sectional. The only thing we haven't done yet is mount our TV on the wall. That is soon to come.
So that is our new home. We cannot wait to have all our friends and family come visit. Just let us know when you want to come!!!!

It's started again!

2008-05-18T18:53:00.003-05:00

The training begins again! I have decided that I am officially obsessed with the idea of training, and here are my best buddies! Well, they probably won't make it the entire training regimen but, they have gotten me started. I ran my first official long run on Saturday and it went pretty good. At about mile 8 with 1 to go I stopped and walked two steps and out loud I yelled at myself NO, KEEP GOING and I did!! It was a good feeling.I took a break from running after the Disney marathon in January and the Austin marathon in February but I am ready to go again.
My sister and I are running the Nike Women's Marathon in October! It will be so much fun getting to do this with Kristin. Then if my body can handle it, I may join a group of high school friends in the San Antonio marathon in November.
Secretly (what I love most about running is that I don't feel guilty when I eat chips and queso and things like that!!!)

I'm a bad blogger!

2008-05-05T17:51:00.002-05:00

Yes, I do realize that it has been forever since I have blogged. So much has happened that I don't even know where to begin. And I have a new computer so all my pictures are saved on an external hard drive that is with Matt in Abilene. Speaking of Abilene, we are moving there this summer. I am finishing my school year here in Dallas and then we will make the move. Matt is already there working and waiting for me! That is the big news. Other things that have happened. My niece Sydney turned one! I ran two marathons- Disney and Austin. Well I will post pictures as soon as I can. But we all know that doesn't really mean anything with my track record on blogger. This summer will be better because I will have all sorts of time on my hands. Adios for now!

I know it has been 2 months!!

2007-12-11T18:34:00.000-06:00

Yes I realize it has almost been two months since my last post. So I have probably lost the few people who used to check out my blog due to my inconsistency. Hopefully, I will bring everyone back with all my updates.
Since so much time has past I am going to start with the most recent happenings and work my way back! This past weekend I ran in the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon. It was cold, rainy and I forgot to wear long pants!! It actually ended up fine during the run, but standing in the start line for 40 minutes(so I could be near the front) was miserable. This was my second half marathon but the first one where I actually had a cheerleading section. Matt, my mom, Carrie, Claire and Caroline all battled the weather to cheer me on. It made running so much easier knowing I had the love and support on the sidelines waiting for me. I also was cheered on by a few surprises, Kasey, Molly and Sarah. All who were there to support there husbands. It was a great run and I did super. Here are some pics of the race and after.

The last couple of weeks in photos!!

2007-10-16T20:05:00.001-05:00

The Stars game. Clearly Matt was more interested in the game than taking the picture. They lost again. Every time we go they lose. Could that mean something?!

Christian Services Auction. It was so much fun to be with friends and spend a night dressed up and attending a dinner and auction. We did not win anything, but had a super time!!

The crew from Richardson East Church of Christ

A couple of weeks ago, our best friends from Lubbock came to town. It was so good to see them. We miss them terribly!!!! We love you Wootens. Sadly I only have pics of the kiddos, Davis and Kennedy. I always forget to take pictures of the adults when kids are involved!

Hanging out with Lisa at our place, Desperados. I don't know what Matt and I would do without our Desperados' nights with the Goolsbys!

Some of my kids at school. We are waiting for dismissal. This is the craziest time of the day. I pulled the camera out and they went crazy. They did stay still for this one photo.

Me at the Nasher Sculpture Museum. This was by far one of the weirdest parts of the Museum. Just wanted to share. And yes, I am standing amongst headless statues. Creepy!!

That's all for now!

New Jersey, New York, New Experiences

2007-10-03T16:42:00.000-05:00

A couple of weekends ago Matt and I went to New Jersey to celebrate a wedding of his friend, Kiran, from high school. Another one his his best friends, Kyle, joined us for the weekend. And since we were in Jersey for the wedding we decided to make an extended vacation and go to NYC for more fun!!
The wedding was such an experience for me. It was a blend of northern and southern India cultures. IT was filled with so many cool things that I don't hardly know how to write about it all. One cool thing was that at the beginning of the wedding the groom rode in on a horse. It was also good luck to have one of his nephews ride with him. While he was riding the rest of the people who were there to support him walked and danced around him to a man beating and singing with a drum. So yes, I danced and chanted through the parking lot to take help Kiran enter to ceremony! The second picture is after the ceremony. Kiran and his new bride Mala, sat up front and you could offer them blessings and then snap a photo for the scrapbook!

The wedding ceremony was full of different traditions. It was all done in sanscript so I really didn't know what was going on. But one of Kiran's aunties sat next to me and told me the signigicance of everything. It was so neat to learn a different culture and how much they believe in commitment and family. After the ceremony there was a break for cocktails, and snacks! The Indian culture definitely believes in food and a lot of it. Then it was time for the reception. More food and tons of dancing! I put a picture of my dinner plate. For those of you that know me well, you know how picky I am with my food. I actually ate most everything you see!! And it was good!

One really cool thing was how all the women painted their hands. They do this at celebrations because it simply looks pretty. Kiran's oldest auntie painted my had before we left. It is done with a henna paste. It comes out a dark brown and then has to dry for 2-3 hours. You can't move or bend the parts that are painted. After it has dried you rub it off, it just flakes off. Then it is an orange color. It will eventually rub or fad away. Mine lasted for about 3 weeks. It was so neat to go back to my school class and show and talk to the kids about my very educational weekend.

Hopefully, I have done the wedding justice. I will follow with another post showing some pictures from the rest of our weekend in NYC!

Birthday Weekend at the Farm

2007-10-02T15:05:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we celebrated Mike's 60th birthday at the farm. It was a super fun filled relaxing weekend. It was filled with family, friends, fishing, golfing, shooting, swimming, eating, sleeping, and anything else one might want to do while resting at the farm.

Here are the dogs all packed up ready to go. They were so excited to be going to the Farm. When there, they get to just run free all day. There is so much to explore and get into. It is a dog's heaven!!
The family is full of fishermen, so needless to say we spent most of Saturday fishing! Here is Mike, Colin, Blake and John Wirt catching fish. They said they had the best luck with the pink worm. Who would have thought bass would love the color pink!

And here was the view I got most of the time on my boat. NICE!! I spent the day with Matt and Josh and I just thought this picture was priceless. I hope they don't get mad for me posting this!
I also got to shoot skeet for the first time. Needless to say I am not a natural, but I had a lot of fun!
Matt and Josh did some team shooting and did quite well. What a team those two make. Best buds since they were babies!The best shot of them all was the birthday boy! He showed everybody up.

Here are some pics of the some of the bugs we say while we were there. This one Matt took. It was our greeting to the house when we walked up.
And this was the coolest. I saw this spider web and when I went to take its picture a bug landed on the web and I got to watch it wrap it up for an afternoon snack. It was so fast and precise in the way it worked. Isn't nature cool!

It was a much needed relaxing weekend. Thanks to Mike for having a birthday!!!

I love weekends in Abilene

2007-09-09T16:24:00.000-05:00

Yes, this post is way overdue. I forgot how tired the first of a school year can be. But here are some photos of a super fun time several weeks ago. Matt and I went to Abilene with our friends Jeff and Lisa Goolsby to see some more friends Wendy and Scott Kilmer and their son Casen. We had a blast! We all wish we could hang out together more. But we treasure the times we are together.
Here we are swimming at the Barnard's pool. What a relaxing afternoon, soaking in the sun!
Matt and Scott the grillmasters! Cooking up some steaks, corn, and zuchinni. Delicious.

And then the okra masters, Jeff and Lisa. I have to say I have never been a fan of fried okra but this was incredible! Way to go top chefs!
And of course, our usual after church lunch at Fugi's. You can't beat it. We had a super time and cannot wait for the next time we all get to be together. Maybe it will be in Dallas next!

Jam packed weekend

2007-07-23T20:49:00.001-05:00

Wow! What a weekend I have had. It actually started on Thursday in Arlington. Matt's company was having a three day meeting there and so we had a hotel room by the ballpark. So Thursday after work I drove over there. That evening while the men were in a dinner meeting, myself and one of the other wives went to dinner. Michelle and I went to TGIFridays and had a great time. She is 9 months pregnant and so ready to have her baby girl. It was fun to get to visit and catch up with her. Then off to the hotel. Matt and I somehow got a suite. It was super nice. The next day I went to work and Matt went to meetings. Friday evening his company had a suite at the Ranger game. We were treated to some excellent free food and drinks.I am usually not a huge fan of these events where I have to mingle with people I don't know. But I really enjoyed this one. I visited with lots of other wives and several of his coworkers. I also met someone who is a true Dave Matthews lover like me!!! Not everyone will understand this obsession. Our group ended up shutting down the ballpark. Someone actually had to come to tell us we had to leave! Saturday was busy as well. I slept in and then went home to mow the lawn and get the house clean. It had been awhile for both and it was beginning to gross me out. That evening a few couples from our small group went to Chili's and to the Mesquite Rodeo. A special event at the rodeo that night was Whiplash. It was a cow dog and a monkey. The monkey was all dressed up like and cowboy and rode the dog while the dog corralled sheep into pens. It was hysterical! We had a great time. I love my church and the friends I have made there. Then on Sunday I worked a tournament at Northwood with my friend Martha Ann. It was a ladies team tennis tournament. It was one busy day at the club. By the time I got home I was exhausted and was ready for some much needed sofa time. I only got a few hours of that because then we were off to McKinney to hang out with Leah and Bryan Beck. We went to their house for burgers and then we went bowling. I had one of my best games ever. I bowled a 168! Go me! But the next game was not near as high Oh well, I was proud of the first. So it was a super busy weekend but a super fun one! I definitely need a rest. However, I won't be getting one because this week at tennis camp we have 56 kids!! YIKES! So be thinking about me and my sanity. I will leave you with some pics from the weekend.

At the ranger game. They lost but I didn't! I had a great time.
Whiplash the famous cowboy monkey!!
The girls (Brooke, Lisa, Me, Sara, and Katie) The boys didn't seem to interested in posing for a picture.

Bryan, Leah and Matt. Leah just bowled her first strike of the game!!!

Loving Lubbock

2007-07-23T20:20:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I got to go to Lubbock to visit family and friends. My mom flew me down to spend time with her, Kristin , Jason, and of course Sydney. It was so much fun to be there. We didn't do a whole lot but totally enjoyed just hanging around the house talking and giggling. Sydney has changes so much. She loves to tell all sorts of stories. She is going to be quite the talkative girls. And her smiles are just too precious! She also finally got some bows. Here a picture of the bow head in her Tech jumper.
While I was there I got to visit my bestie Amanda! Her son Davis was turning three that weekend, so bonus for me. I went to his Buzz Lightyear birthday party at 50th street caboose. He loved playing games, especially skee ball. The greatest game ever! I love the Wootens and miss them terribly.

Then I spent all afternoon and evening with my friend Julie. We had an awesome time. We went for ice cream, played gas station lottery scratch off games. It is where you buy a few scratch off tickets. Then if you win any money you cash it in and go to another gas station to buy more and then keep going until you run out of money. We made it to two gas stations, which I think is pretty good. No we did not strike the jackpot. Then we went to Sonic to get drinks and back to her house to visit with her mom and sister. Finally, we got hungry and went out to Louhans for a yummy Mexican dinner. We had so much fun just being together. Hopefully I will see her in August at her next Supers tournament.

I had a most amazing time in Lubbock. I am so blessed by my friends and family. I love you guys and I love Lubbock!!!

Look at those sweet faces!

2007-07-06T09:01:00.001-05:00

Just some sweet pictures of my puppies. This first one I took while I was laying in bed. Deuce had jumped up and put her head on me. It was so sweet. I think she was dying for some attention. And then little Dublin, begging to get up on the bed. She still hasn't quite mastered the jump. So when I don't want to pull her up she doesn't get to come.
This is the hardest thing to capture. Both of them together and still!
Deuce loves her toys. Please play with me, anyone?

Happy 4th of July

2007-07-06T08:41:00.001-05:00

Matt and I had a great 4th of July celebration. It actually started the night before. We had a sleepover with Claire and Caroline. We got to their house just in time to watch Parent Trap with them. When I say watch, I just mean that the tv was on. We had a great time visiting and giggling! The next morning it was up early to go get ready for the parade. Claire and Caroline rode their bikes in the first part. Carrie and I walked beside them to refill the candy baskets!

After a short ride, we found Matt and Russ and watched the rest of the parade together. It was a lot of fun waving my flag and cheering. We also collected a good amount of candy and goodies from the different floats. Claire's favorite float was the bubble float. Mine were all the floats with the puppies! Imagine that!

After the parade Matt and I went home to rest for awhile. We met back up with everyone that evening for dinner and fireworks at the country club. I have to say that this has been one of my best 4th's in a long time. Thanks to Carrie, Russ, Caroline and Claire for sharing the fun with us!

Our Country Date

2007-07-04T17:40:00.000-05:00

After a busy couple of weeks with Matt being out of town and then having company we decided it was time for a date!! It was my night to plan so I went with a country theme. We started the night by going to Western Warehouse to get Matt a new cowboy outfit. I went as his city girl! Then we went to dinner at the Cowboy Chicken on Greenville. They are famous for their rotiserrie chicken enchiladas and twice baked potatoes. It was delicious! To finish off our meal we had homemade peach cobbler. Yummy. Then it was off to the Mesquite Rodeo. It was fun watching the real coyboys do their thing! All in all I think it was a great date and Matt loved it! When we got home I made him let me take his picture since he was all dressed up. I will post them but don't give him too hard of a time!!
What a hottie!!!!

Cousin Camp 2007

2007-07-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

Cousin camp has become a tradition in our family over the past 4 years. There are 9 of us ranging from the ages 9-29. Our ages do not mean anything when we are together. We all get along great and love being with each other. This year everyone came to my house. We spent a lot of time hanging out at the house, shopping at the malls, and eating due to the rain! However, it did let up long enough for us to enjoy a day at Hawaiian Falls. It was a blast! I am truly blessed with the family I have. I can't wait for next year's Cousin Camp. Here is a pic of everyone. Nathan, Noel, Autumn, and Corinne spent most of the rainy time lounging on the sofas watching Hannah Montana! I thought for awhile they had become permanent structures in the living room!
Here's a picture of everyone at Chili's. Starting from the left and making the way around the table, Kristin, baby Sydney, Me, Aunt Dianne, Noel, Nathan, Aunt Brenda(mom), Corinne, Autumn, Natalie, and Nat's boyfriend Jason.

And a cute picture of me and my sis!! Love her to death. I can't wait to see her again.

Sweet Sydney

2007-07-03T12:51:00.000-05:00

This past week my mom, sister, and niece, Sydney came in town. We were having cousin camp the following weekend, but they came early so we could hang out and I could get some good quality Sydney time. She is absolutely the most adorable baby ever! She was such a trooper. Going shopping for hours, driving all over Dallas, sitting at the pool while I worked, and just lounging at the house. She hardly fussed at all. Just occasionally at night we she was just ready to be in bed. I think we all were ready for bed some nights. Here are a few pics of the angel.
One evening Sydney and I were laying on my bed and she had so much to tell me. I can't wait for days when we will be able to talk and understand eachother. It is going to be so much fun! Sleepovers at Aunt Andi's!!!Smiling for the camera! What a cutie!! My aunt Dianne got her the outfit she is wearing. Under the zebra it says wild one. Shout out to the Wildners!!!!

Summer Fun

2007-07-02T12:08:00.000-05:00

My new favorite summer place is Hawaiian Falls. It is a small water park in Garland. I started going with Amy and her kiddos and now try to find any reason to go. I have always been a water baby and I still am!! Here are a few pictures of me, Emily, and Ellie. We were taking a quick break while Amy and Blake raced down a slide.

Long time ago Lone Star Park

2007-07-02T11:54:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago, yes it has been that long since I posted, Matt and I attended that horse races. Our friends, Zan and Kris Jayroe had a box and invited a group of people to hang out with them. It was a blast!!! We spent the day eating, and talking. I met some new people but mainly got to catch up with one of my favorite people, Zan. The races were fun to watch but needless to say Matt and I did not strike it rich with any of our bets. I did pick one winner but didn't make much money seeing as we only put a few dollars down!!

And I just think this picture is hillarious. We look like such a cute family. But I'm sure everyone knows that this is not really my family!! I am holding Zan's sweet baby, Belle, and next to me is Matt's cousin Josh. My most wonderful husband was taking the picture!

It was a great day at the races!! Thank you Zan and Kris.

New Job

2007-06-05T20:18:00.000-05:00

I have never been so excited about starting a new job as I am for this one. Last week I accepted a position to teach 5th grade Math at James Back Elementary in Garland ISD. I am thrilled. To celebrate the news we(Matt, Josh, Jeff, Lisa, and me) went out to dinner. We went to Margarita Ranch. The boys rode the dart and Lisa and I met them there. It was so fun to visit and eat lots of good food. Here are some pictures of the evening. The first picture is at Caroline's dance recital. Lisa and I attended that before we met the boys. Man you know you have an amazing friend when they will go with you to your niece's recital!
Josh and his imaginary significant other. She is really in Texarkana. He is such a trooper hanging out with a bunch of married folk. He did inform us that we, married people, talk about different things than do single people.
My sweet husband. He is so proud for me. It will be a fun year of us both having to get up early!
The Goolsbys. Dallas wouldn't be the same without them!!

Memorial Weekend

2007-06-05T17:43:00.000-05:00

Memorial weekend Matt and I went to Texarkana. It was a great relaxing weekend for everyone. I spent most of my time hanging out with Gayle. We got pedicures, shopped, went to lunch and I even went to a dance recital with her. And I actually enjoyed watching girls dance! Matt's weekend was quite different. He spent most of his free time fishing with his dad, or his cousin Josh. He was in heaven. If only we lived by water and had enough money for a boat and a suv. But maybe someday! Even the dogs had a blast. They love Texarkana. There are no fences so there is more room to run than they know what to do with. They also got to go swimming. Not a very eventful weekend but one of the best I have had in quite some time.

Dublin and Deuce swimming. Most of the time Dublin would try to piggy back on top of Deuce. It was very funny.

Here is a sweet picture of Deuce. She popped her head up on the dock to say hello to us before she took off for another swim. What a cutie!I thought this picture was pretty funny. It looks like Dublin has a row of teeth in her mouth. She loved playing fetch with this ball only. Very picky.

And then a few pictures of Matt fishing. Not a care in the world!!Josh, Gary, and Matt. They fished all day long. They even had lunch served to them by Uncle Jim. We thought they would never get off the boat!!

What to do with old undershirts

2007-06-01T09:43:00.000-05:00

I finally bought Matt new undershirts! But what should I do wiht the old ones? Recycle of course!!!

A wonderfully busy weekend

2007-05-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

Family time, graduations, and friends. What a great weekend. Matt and I were super busy a couple of weekends ago. We spent Friday with my Uncle Bruce, Aunt Nancy and their girls, Corinne, Noel, and Autumn. Bruce just took a preaching job in the Woodlands so it was neat to be the first to see there new place. Friday I spent the day with Nancy looking at houses. Then that evening we ate dinner and hung out. I love spending time with them.
Me and my Aunt Nancy. Do we look worn out from a day full of looking at houses. There are so many to look at. I even found myself some that I could move in to!!
Autumn and I after dinner. Bruce was dying to take our picture. He got a new phone and was picture happy so I had to take one with my camera too!!
Noel and I in the car on the way to lunch. We ate at the Sweet Tomato, her choice. It was very yummy!

Saturday was spent in Houston for Kyle's graduation from law school. He and Matt have been best friends since high school.
After the graduation we, Matt and I and all of Kyle's family, went to his apartment and hung out by the pool. Sorry no pictures from there. I am not quite in swimsuit shape yet!! Later that evening we went to a party for Kyle and his study partner Tammy. Not quite what I pictured for a study partner. Below is a picture of the two most beautiful lawyers!!
And the most beautiful couple !! Ha!
It was Kyle's birthday so we celebrated with the most delicious cupcakes ever! This is Molly, Mrs. Spout and I indulging in the yumminess.After the dinner one of Kyle's friends rented a limo for everyone to cruise the town. Sadly, Matt and I are either old or just not the partying type. We just rode with everyone to the first stop and then had the limo take us to our car. It was still a lot of fun.

Sunday we went to church with Bruce and the girls and then we had to hit the road. It was a great weekend but we had to say so long Sam Houston!

Technology Today

2007-05-17T20:39:00.000-05:00

Crazy!! As I type Matt and I are driving to Houston and I am posting a blog on the Internet. I think it is so wild how we can basically be connected to whatever we want. I can talk on the phone to someone in another country and it sound like they are right next to me. I can check my email while driving. It is just crazy how technology has changed. I can still remember when cell phones were just coming into existence. I didn't even have my own cell phone until college and now every kid seems to have one. Anyways, I just thought it was cool that I could post a blog while riding in the car and off on a tangent I went. I should have tons to blog about after this weekend. We are off to visit my Uncle Bruce and Aunt Nancy and my cousins, Corinne, Noel, and Autumn. Then we will celebrate Kyle's graduation from law school. So be checking back soon!

Cinco de Mayo!

2007-05-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

Matt and I love to entertain so with the independence of Mexico coming up we thought it would be a great reason to party. So we threw a Cinco de Mayo party for our Sunday School class. Fajitas, Queso, Guacamole, Chips, Pinata, and Friends. What more could you ask for?!
Michael and Brooke Hall, Brooke, Matt, and Anderson Cole. The Cole's oldest boys were too busy playing on the bounce house and video games to get still enough for a photo. They were so much fun to have . Super cute and super sweet. They brought me hand painted pots of cilantro and pepper. I just love having little kids around. Casey and Casey McCollum. They were such partiers that night. After attending ours they were off to another. What a bundle of energy they are.

And of course, Jeff and Lisa. We could not have pulled this party off without them. They came over a couple hours early and helped me stay sane getting everything ready. Matt and Jeff made three trips to the grocery store within one hour!! Thanks guys. Lisa was a life saver. It is crazy to think that I just met her this year. She is an amazing friend. And last but not least. Some pinata action. I have some movie clips but I do not know how to add them. So this will have to do. The boys destroyed the donkey and took home a great big bag of candy.

All in all I think we celebrated the independence of Mexico in a very great fashion. It was so fun to have our house filled with friends.

White Rock and Roll 5 mile

2007-05-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

My first official race. Most of you know that I have enjoyed running for some time. I used to run religiously but have slacked off in the recent years. I just recently became motivated again. So when I saw a race coming up this weekend I decided to go for it. I figured it would either keep me motivated or do the opposite. Well, it worked. I totally enjoyed the race. Except the beginning where there are way to many people all trying to push ahead to get to the front. Along the course were bands playing at about every mile. Some were pretty good, while a few were not so good for my taste. There were also cheerleaders from high schools there doing cheers. "Keep those legs moving! You can do it! Go Runners!"I was excited because I met my goal. I ran the race right at an 8:30 pace. And of course my biggest fan, Matt, was waiting at the finish line. What a great way to start a Saturday morning.

Me waiting at the start line.

And they're off!!! I finished!!

One last picture to mark the event.

Out and about in Abilene!

2007-05-04T11:31:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was a blast. It was filled with family, friends and fun!! There were quite a lot of people involved to make this a great weekend. First of course, my awesome parents. They let their house become a hotel. It was a house full and there was no complaining about all the messes we made. The house would even miraculously clean itself while we were gone. I think we owe that to the magic mom!!

Kristin, Jason, and sweet Sydney also came for the weekend. It was Sydney's first time to meet her Uncle Matt. She had already heard a ton about him but she wanted to find out for herself.
Of course she loved him and he the same. But note how she already is throwing the first punch. You better watch out Uncle Matt!!!

Then there are my ACU tennis friends. We spent Saturday morning playing tennis and having a blast. Every year when I come back for the alumni and I reminded of how blessed I was to be a part of such an amazing program. I was also lucky to have the best coach ever. Hutton knows how to have a good time but also is a great role model showing that living for Jesus is amazing.

I also got to see my friend Julie. I was Julie's high school coach last year in Frenship. She is definitely the little sister I never had. Crazy to think that in just over a year two people whose ages are quite different can become so close! Julie and I played doubles together at the alumni tournament and we kicked bootie!!! And then I played the most amazing set of singles ever against the number one girl. I only lost 6-4. I have never been so proud of losing!!!
Anyways, back to Jules. Matt and I drug her around ACU giving her a most in-depth tour. What a trouper!! It was so good to spend some good quality time with her. Julie Bell-I love you!!

And of course we cannot go to Abilene without seeing the Scott, Wendy and Casen Kilmer. We went to Highland Sunday morning. And what always follows: Fuji's!!!! The whole crew (dad, Julie, Jason, Sydney, Kristin, Mom, Matt, Wendy, Scott, Casen is hidden, and me taking the picture!) What a great way to end a fantastic weekend.

My awesome husband!!

2007-04-30T20:31:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday was our 4 year anniversary. We didn't have huge plans for the day for two reasons. 1. Our trip to Mexico!!! 2. I was going out of town that day. We both had agreed before we took the trip to Mexico that it was our gift to each other. But I have the greatest husband ever. I woke up Thursday morning and we said our Happy Anniversaries and I was just expecting a sweet card. After roaming the house, clearing not paying attention to what I had walked past several times, I finally noticed a gift bag on the table. And it was in a Brighton bag! As much as I wanted to just rip into the bag I decided I should probably read the card first. And I am glad I did. It was by far the sweetest most thoughtful card I have ever received. That right there was enough (but don't tell Matt -I do love presents too!!). To top off the card he got me earrings and a matching necklace that I had been eyeing. I can't even put into words how lucky and blessed I am to have Matt as my husband. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him. Here is a picture of the jewerly. It really doesn't do it justice.

A 'Wicked' Weekend

2007-04-24T14:53:00.000-05:00

Matt and I had a great weekend. Friday, I worked in the morning but had the afternoon off. I was contemplating what we were going to do for the night. I had planned a boring night in, when the phone rang. The Bryan's from church were calling to see if we wanted to go to dinner and to the musical Wicked. Of course we wanted to go!! We met Brant and Melita at Ferre in the West Village for dinner. It was a lot of fun getting to know them. He is an elder at our church and one of his daughters went to ACU. They are some of the most fun and generous people we have been around. After dinner it was off to Wicked. It was so good. Matt and I both love musicals. It was very interesting how they depicted the lives of the witches. Saturday was another busy day. We both got up early. Matt to go play tennis and me to go to a job fair. Most of you know that I did not teach this year. However, to my surprise I have really missed it. So off to find a job. That afternoon we both took a break on the sofa until we got a call from Carrie and Caroline. They wanted us to come to dinner with them a Mi Cocina. If you know Matt, he will never turn down dinner at MiCo!! Carrie surprised me with a Bobby Brown makeup pallet. I have been wanting to try there makeup. And I love it. I may have to convert!!! Then we watched the Stars tie up the series 3-3. It was a great game. We love to watch Dallas sports.
Sunday- I thought this was a day of rest. Not for us. We went to church Sunday morning. The adult classes have been studying the Psalms. And to conclude our study a Jewish lady came and played and sang some of the psalms. She played a harp that was made to model the ones played by the Levite priests. It was a moving experience to hear the Psalms in another way. After church we went our with the Goolsbys. We had not seen them all week and were in desperate need of some Jeff and Lisa time. That afternoon there was a Unity service with over 30 church of Christ churches. It was a time of praise and worship. So cool to see an arena fill up with such different backgrounds of believers. Then a group of us, Kasey, CP, Jeff, Lisa and me and Matt, went to have some good mexican food at Cristina's. Out of the blew Matt and I have both become guacamole lovers. We can't get enough of it. We had some great conversation. We were there for almost 3 hours.

Random: This weekend I saw my old principal from Hutch Middle School two times!! I never thought i would see him again. First I saw him at the Garland ISD job fair. He now works at one of the high schools. And then I saw him at the Unity Service. He preaches at a bilingual church in town. Pretty cool! It is a small world.

Best Buds

2007-04-19T08:01:00.000-05:00

Well, it has finally happened. I was looking for the dogs last night and went into my bedroom to find this.
I have known for some time that they actually like each other. They play together all day long. But Deuce has never allowed Dublin on her bed. But tonight they snuggled together for quite awhile. I am just so glad that they actually get along because they have a long life together.
It looks like I may be buying a bigger bed as Dublin grows older! It is a tight fit already.

Totally Toes!!

2007-04-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to inform everyone that my toe seems to be doing great. It was pretty gross to start. With 7 stitches, blood, and bruising it has come a long way. This morning after my shower I investigated the toe. And low and behold, the last of the yucky stuff had come off. It now looks somewhat normal. It is still very tender but at least it is not scary! I am just so excited to have my toe back!!! I wanted to share it with everyone.

BEFORE :(
AFTER :)

A good week

2007-04-12T20:39:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a good uneventful week for me. Matt's was a bit more exciting. He spent the first part of the week in San Fransisco. But I don't think he got to take any trolley rides! He then caught a red eye flight to be back in Dallas for a nine o'clock meeting on Thursday. He is my little traveler. We have packing for his trips down to an art.
While Matt was gone I spent some quality time with the dogs!!!

Well not just with the dogs.

Monday I went to Carrie's house to help her with some work she needed to catch up on. I did a ton of filing and made new folders for her. I also used a label maker for the first time. Sadly, I loved it! Matt came over for lunch at the house and brought pizza for everyone. What a sweetie!! After lunch we went home and hung out until he left for the airport. And then it was tv time for me.

Tuesday evening I went to visit the Batchelors. My nieces and nephew were in some serious need of Aunt Andi. I had not seen them in forever. We played outside in the backyard. Lots of sliding, monkey bars(with help from me), running around and just being kids. Then I took a break to visit with Amy and Colin. Emily also sang some Tim McGraw for us. She is such a performer. Watch out American Idol!

Wednesday was a normal work day for me. Tennis! That evening though my friend, Lisa, and I went for a walk on the trail near my neighborhood. We were going to go do Yoga but the weather was just to pretty to pass up a walk. After that we went to La Madeline for a somewhat healthy dinner. We felt pressured to eat healthy seeing as we had just walked. It was so good to just spend time with a good friend and visit about anything and everything.

Thursday was TCD day(Tennis Competitors of Dallas). I won my match 6-2, 6-0. My partner, Jamie, and I blew them off the court. GO TEAM!! Matt came home after lunch and I put him to bed. He has to get caught up on his sleep. Random: But at junior tennis tonight one of the boys was on my court and out of the blew he looked at me and said "Hey, nice tan." So cute!!

Friday was a crazy day with the weather. In the morning there were some random rain showers so my lesson got moved to the afternoon. That was okay because it gave me time to go workout. Then it was sunny for the rest of the day until bam! Bad weather. I was minding my own business at the house. I had actually showered and gotten all dressed up so when Matt got home we could go out. Then I heard a tornado siren going off in our neighborhood. So i quickly turned on the tv to find out that the entire dfw area was under a tornado warning and it was not a tease. The weather went from good to very bad! I was worried because Matt was not home yet. But he made it home in the nick of time. About 10 minutes after he arrived it started hailing. It was some pretty big hail but it wasn't for long. So I don't think we have any damage. Needless to say, my plans of going out were spoiled. We ordered a pizza in and still completely enjoyed ourselves.

Saturday morning I went to a step aerobics class with Lisa. I looked pretty hysterical. I can not quite get my feet to do one thing and my arms doing another. But I still had fun. Then I spent the day cleaning the house. Very much needed! Then it was off to the kitchen to be domestic. We were having company and I had to cook! It actually all turned out to be super delicious. Pork chops, scalloped potatoes, green beans, and brownies!! Yummy!! Oh yes, and of course Sister Shubert rolls. Zan (Hurley) Jayroe and her 10 week old daughter, Belle, came over. Kris could not make it, he was still at work. It was so good to see Zan and Belle. We definitely need to see each other more. But having adult lives make it hard!!

So it has been another good week for me. Nothing to complain about. Tomorrow we are headed to church and then to College Station for the night. Matt has to work there on Monday. And since I am off I thought I would join him. Adios for now.

EGGcellent Easter Weekend

2007-04-08T19:26:00.000-05:00

Saturday night we went out to dinner and bowling with the Kilmers. They were in town to spend Easter with Wendy's parents. They are some of our best friends and we miss getting to hang out with them. Our dreams are that someday we will all live in the same town where we can raise our children and grow old together!! But for now, weekend visits will have to do. This was also my first night to sport a headband. Isn't the new fashion crazy. I feel like I am a blast from the past.

Scott was by far the best bowler!! But everyone did break one hundred at least once during the night!! You will not be seeing us on the tour anytime soon!
Sunday morning was great. The Easter bunny visited Matt and brought him some candy and a new bible. Then it was off to church. What a great service. Everything about it was beautiful, the singing, the message and the friends. Matt and I didn't have any plans for lunch so we got Taco Bueno and went home to just chill together. I just remembered that I did not take our picture this morning when we were all dressed up so this will have to do! But it does summarize our weekend. Happy and relaxed!

Fun Friday

2007-04-08T18:58:00.000-05:00

Friday was a fun but busy day. Friday morning I picked up my nieces, Claire and Caroline and we met Uncle Matt for lunch on the canal. We went to the Italian Cafe and had giant pizza slices and spaghetti with meatballs. It was fun to get to have the girls all to ourselves. But our hour with Matt ended sooner than we wanted. None of us wanted to see him go. But somebody has to support me!!!

After lunch the girls went with me to Petsmart to get Deuce a birthday present. It was her fourth birthday. We picked out a red squeaky football. I am now regretting this present because Deuce loves it and it makes a ton of noise. So it gets hidden when I can't take it anymore.
Here is a pitiful picture of Dublin. She didn't get a present. But surprisingly she didn't even try to take it from Deuce. She just watched her play.
Friday evening Matt and I went to the 50th Mesquite Rodeo. It was a last minute decision and well worth it. The best part was when we got there to buy our tickets they told us it was dollar night. You can't beat that!!! I am a huge fan of cheap entertainment. I usually get bored at the events because of all the down time but this one was awesome. They went from one event to the next without any down time. I was thoroughly entertained. And of course I had to buy some cotton candy. Who can turn that down. It was so good!!! I felt like a kid again. When we got home later that night we both crashed hard. It was a long, busy day but tons of fun.

What we do best!

2007-04-08T18:37:00.000-05:00

Laying around is what the Brewingtons do best. Earlier this week all of us were lounging on the bed and I found it to be a great Kodak moment.

God is so Good!!!

2007-04-05T10:49:00.000-05:00

Well, this past month has had its ups and downs but I have been reminded in so many ways how amazing our God is. Matt and I were seven weeks pregnant and had our second miscarriage. Our hearts were crushed. But family and friends were at our side immediately. I know that I am truly blessed by the family and friends I have. I could not have made it through this without them. And then the most amazing blessing ever came. It is so neat to see God's miracles. Three days later my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Sydney Dianne McNeil. She was about 5 weeks early but came out perfect. God knows just what he is doing. Sydney has a special place in my heart. She has reminded me what God can do and how amazing he truly is. I know that His timing is perfect and that my baby is being created just for Matt and I for just the right time.

A much needed vacation

2007-04-04T13:25:00.000-05:00

Well, after a string of bad luck Matt and I decided it was time for some quality time together. (Spent on a beach!!) We both took a week off and crossed the border to Playa Del Carmen. We went to an all-inclusive resort, the Royal Hideaway. I have never been more relaxed in my life. Nothing beats lying on the beach or by the pool with a good book and someone waiting on your every need. I started the Harry Potter books seeing as the last one is coming out soon. I didn't want to be left out of all the fun! Spread throughout our busy days of laying out we found time to play tennis, do water aerobics, and use a catamaran. It was a hard life but somebody had to do it!Well, I thought we had come to Mexico to get away from our bad luck but boy was I wrong! We decided to take a walk along the beach. But if you are keeping up with post hurricane news you will already know that the tides have changed due to the storms and are eroding the sandy beaches at a fast rate. So during parts of our walk we had to venture into the water. We had made it down past a few resorts and decided to turn back. But all of a sudden a HUGE wave knocked my feet out from under me and threw me into a rock under the water. I felt shooting pain up my legs. I just started moving as fast as I could for the beach. You can see where this is headed. Needless to say I ended up the the Mexican emergency room with 7 stitches on the bottom of my big toe!! I couldn't get my foot wet for the next two days so I spent my time laying out and reading while Matt took the catamaran out by himself. All in all it was a great trip and we can't wait to go back. In several years of course (it drained our pocket books)!

I can't believe I did it

2007-04-03T14:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I never thought I would actually have a blog but I have taken the plunge. However, after reading others I feel a tremendous amount of pressure to have exciting things all the time. I want to set things straight now and let you know that my life is not always full of excitement. But, I will do my best to make the day to day happenings sound exciting. I hope you enjoy seeing just a glimpse into the Brewington house!